#121 Wedding in Boring
01 May 2015 // Boring, Oregon
This is how my weekend went- DJ’ing and sort of catering a wedding for a couple I had never met before. Also, I don’t really DJ or cater.
But, it fun and something different to do for the weekend. And I got to be introduced to Boring, Oregon.
#122 Buying Our Rings
02 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
As a part of a very relaxing and successful Saturday for Deanna and myself we bought our wedding rings at the Eugene Saturday Market.
Mark Jackson is quite a skilled metalsmith and his products are fantastic. Glad we could get our wedding bands from a local guy doing what he loves.
#123 The Postcard Places
03 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna and I are working on making all of the aesthetic elements of our wedding reflect us and our story- one of those touches is naming all the tables after places we’ve been together.
That gave me a chance to design these postcards and a few others like them.
#124 Coffee Plant With Dee
04 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Went on a study-coffee mini-date with Deanna to try and get some work done and study for a test while she sent out job applications.
It was also finally my chance to introduce her to my favorite coffee shop in town, Coffee Plant.
#125 The 25th Birthday
05 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
And then, I turned 25.
Celebrated in style by eating all of the chicken wings that I could, taking most of the day off, and spending quality time with Deanna.
#126 Old Photos
06 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Put in some work this weekend on that baby photo montage to be played at our wedding reception with the help of all these pics my mom sent me. Haven’t seen some of these in years.
As for Deanna’s childhood? You’ll just have to wait. Her dad sent me a thumb drive filled with 30GB of tbt’s.
#127 Matt Model
07 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Looks like we’ve got company here in Eugene.
Matt came up for the week and we got things started by a coffee shop trip right away. Quality time.
#128 Read on the Sand
08 May 2015 // Florence, Oregon
Deanna, Matt, and I finally got to go over to our nearest coastal town of Florence. Had some good fish and chips and spent the day exploring the small old town area.
Then, we went out onto the North Jetty and found a gorgeous set of rolling sand dunes with blades of tall wild grass being combed by the wind. It was too perfect of a place to pass up staying a while and reading, so we did just that.
#129 Book Celebration
09 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
My friend Dan also wrote a book recently, so a few of our friends threw together this wonderful event for us.
There was a lot of good food, great company, some read alouds, Q&A, signing, and a good time. So thankful for all the thought that went into this.
#130 RapChat Matt
10 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
I introduced Matt to the app RapChat, and he can’t stop won’t stop.
Now allow me to introduce the rest of you to RapChat. Rap at me.
#131 Travel Guides
11 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna and I are using places we’ve visited together to name the tables at our wedding reception, using old Lonely Planet style travel guides for our centerpieces.
This means we’ve been on a months long scavenger hunt for travel guides for a bunch of different places. (Anyone got Liechtenstein?) Made a big inroads this weekend by bargaining to get these in a package deal at a used bookstore on the coast.
#132 Lane County Justice System
12 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
And on this day in history… I got jury duty!
Actually, I found the whole process pretty interesting. I got myself dismissed from the case, but I would actually probably like to serve at some point.
#133 Sushi Island
13 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Took Matt to one of my favorite sushi happy hours. A dollar fifty per plate of conveyor belt sushi, no matter what is on the plate.
I don’t necessarily mean to say that this is my favorite sushi in town… it’s subpar to be honest, but at a buck fifty, it is my favorite sushi happy hour, and that is noteworthy itself.
#134 Eugene Airport Curb
14 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Dropped Matt off at the airport to send him back to California today.
Beforehand, we got to join my circle group at Hop Valley, where I discovered a new favorite lager. That’s how we make the most of every minute of this visit.
#135 Beef n’ Cheddar n’ Wedding
15 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Sometimes I find myself in the future, doing future things. Like “going” to my first wedding of the season via livestream at an Arby’s.
Congrats Liz and Kyle! Deanna and I are glad you livestreamed it so we could be there in spirit with roast beef and cheddar melts.
#136 Video Recording
16 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna and I spent a really relaxing Saturday, going on a walk and watching Contact.
Also, we recorded a little video that will be shown at our wedding… pending me looking good on film, of course.
#137 Thai Basil Burger
17 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Imitation is sincere flattery, so I took a stab at doing a culinary cover of The Blue Owl’s Thai Basil Burger… slider style.
Hardest part was getting down the spicy level just right. I think I came close… Got the right type of spicy, just made it a tad too spicy.
Definitely gonna give this another shot, next time with better burger meat, the fried egg, and without the cheesy garnish that I couldn’t resist.
#138 Backyard Whit
18 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent the morning hanging out here with a cup of coffee and some old favorite songs I hadn’t heard in a really long time.
Love getting a quiet morning that I get to start slow. Love having this backyard for at least another month.
#139 The Invisible Girls + The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
19 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
A couple of sort of recent reads.
Sarah Thebarge’s memoir is a powerful one. She weaves together her pretty intense fight against breast cancer that she faced in her twenties with her story of befriending and coming to be a part of the lives of a Somali refugee family. Personal stories like this are crazy powerful.
Oscar Wao… So unusual in its flippant, occasionally aggressive narration with an odd fixation of putting every character through the worst. No other author out there even somewhat resembles Diaz’ style.
#140 Dancing on Campus
20 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Decided to walk back to my car the long way after my evening Hindi class. Ran into quite the event, dance troupes on the campus.
Sat and watched for a little while, just for the sake of moving a bit slower. Even when it started to rain.
#141 Chris and Marissa Visit
21 May 2015 // Springfield, Oregon
It was a really, really good day. Chris and Marissa passed through Eugene so we got to get breakfast. Spent the afternoon meeting local authors and learning author things. Got to get a beer with a new friend and record a podcast with an old one.
#142 Rabbit Hole Boba
22 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Spent a simple Friday with Deanna mostly getting wedding work out of the way. We managed to knock out a good chunk of it too.
Treated ourselves to some midday motivation with boba from the Rabbit Hole. Been liking that place a lot lately.
#143 Bulldog
23 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna surprised me with a date this weekend… she took me over to Santa Clara for the Eugene Scottish Festival. Perfectly eccentric and just my cup of (Twinnings) tea.
Oh, and the best part, this was a very dog friendly environment. Especially for breeds from the British Isles. We befriended these two bulldogs. Never would’ve guessed that their heads are the softest things ever.
#144 Last Days at 1275
24 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Enjoying my last days as the last in a series of houses all over the world that I’ve lived in as a single guy.
It’s been an interesting and definitely eccentric collection of living arrangements since I’ve been independent. I’ll definitely be trading upwards, though.
#145 Memorial Day at Dan & Jordan’s
25 May 2015 // Creswell, Oregon
This was a good one for barbecues, bonfires out of a wheelbarrow about to burst, dog companions, and charades.
I usually have Mondays off, or unscheduled, at least, but it was great seeing everybody else in the same long weekend spirit.
#146 UO Campus
26 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Did a good deal of work on my thesis proposal today. Added some meat to the expanding literature review and hashed out interview questions for when I do my research.
Plus it was a really nice day, so rather than being cooped up, I got to do this work in my ideal environment– outside.
#147 One Month Away
27 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Today is our -1 month anniversary— just one month until Deanna and I are married. Tough to put into words how excited I am for that upcoming day.
From the clips of Chi and Greg practicing to Deanna packing up her stuff to take to our new apartment soon to the namecards I’ve been printing out and the emails reminding me of impending honeymoon flights, we’ve got the best month ever ahead of us!
#148 Evening at Papa’s
28 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
One of the things I will miss the most about living at my current place is being a short walking distance from one of my favorite restaurants in town– Papa’s Soul Food.
And of course, I’ll remember these evenings, of walking to either Papa’s or Sweet Life, swinging by Redox and picking up a movie, and coming home for a simple evening together.
#149 Evening in the Kitchen
29 May 2015 // Eugene, Oregon
Deanna and I hosted some company from church in the evening, so after a day full of moving furniture all over, we got busy in the kitchen to whip up a lasagna.
Looking forward to hosting people and gatherings and dinners next year at our place. Entertaining is a lot of fun.
#150 Fiona the Greyhound
30 May 2015 // Springfield, Oregon
Deanna makes a new friend, or just as likely, the dog is in it for some ginger beer.
Sometimes, like last night, I find myself in social situations when I don’t quite have the energy to be as social as I’d like. Having some dogs around always helps.
#151 Testing the Rod
31 May 2015 // Springfield, Oregon